Four months later, the Lakers demonstrated in their win Saturday over the Sacramento Kings that they're more equipped to handle Nash's absence.

They might have to prove they can do that again, beginning Tuesday, when the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center.

Nash played less than two minutes Saturday because of a strained right hamstring that has currently sidelined him day-to-day.

"I'm concerned, but he'll do everything he can to get well," D'Antoni said. "He understands his body and won't push too much."

The Utah Jazz (38-36) have the edge over the Lakers (38-36) for the eighth playoff spot after owning the regular-season tiebreaker with eight games remaining.

The Lakers' playoff fortunes could rest on how they can absorb another Nash injury.

No pressure.

But the Lakers provided a good model against Sacramento. That started with Bryant and Gasol taking over the facilitating duties and becoming the first Laker tandem to post double-digit assists in a game since Bryant and Luke Walton did in an overtime loss to Washington in 2006.

"It's important the guys have the ball in their hands, think about facilitating and find the open guys," Gasol said. "Kobe and I did a good job of that. We'll have to continue to do it if Steve isn't out there."

Assuming that happens, the Lakers will need to depend on a point guard who goes by the same first name: Steve Blake.

The Lakers didn't have that luxury during Nash's leg injury since Blake stayed sidelined for 37 games because of a lower abdominal strain. But against Sacramento, Blake scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.

In 22 games the Lakers won with him in the lineup, Blake averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from 3-point range.

In 15 losses, Blake has averaged 5.4 points with nearly equal marks from the field (40 percent) and from the perimeter (39.5 percent), along with 3.1 assists.

But Blake said he's thinking beyond his own numbers.

"A lot of times we just let Steve run the pick and roll and have him do things for us," Blake said. "Of course we still have Kobe to do that. But we'll try to go into the post more to Dwight (Howard) and mix it up."

That worked against the Kings.

In what D'Antoni described as "unbelievable," Gasol and Howard remained an unstoppable one-two punch by running sets from each other from high to low beginning at the elbow.

"We have to continue to go back to those sets," Howard said. "It'll make it tougher for teams to play us. They have to worry about Pau at the top and I'm ducking in as hard as I can. Its' hard for teams to play both."